Fall issue of literary journal available

KALAMAZOO -- The fall 1997 issue of "Third Coast,"
a national literary magazine published by Western Michigan University's
Department of English, is now available.

Edited by graduate students in the master's and doctoral English
programs, "Third Coast" features the work of established
and emerging writers from across the nation.

This issue of the softcover journal includes 30 poems, 10 short
stories and one piece of non-fiction.

A short story by Lisa Lenzo, winner of the 1997 John Simmons
Short Fiction Award, is among those featured. Her work has appeared
in the Alaska Quarterly Review and Michigan Quarterly Review as
well as on National Public Radio. Lenzo earned her master of fine
arts degree in creative writing from WMU in1991.

Some of the other authors published in the journal include
fiction writers John Minichillo and Marcia V. Stucki as well as
poets Marsha de la O, Chase Twichell, David Wojahn and Dean Young.
The cover art features the work of painter Jan Reaves of Eugene,
Ore.

Called "a lively new literary magazine on the rise"
by Ronald Spatz, editor of Alaska Quarterly Review, "Third
Coast" has been well-received since its inaugural publication
in 1994.

"We get hundreds of submissions from around the country,"
says Kathleen McGookey, managing editor for the spring 1998 publication.
"We use 3 to 5 percent of the submissions we receive so the
process is very competitive."

"Third Coast's" editorial board is made up of graduate
students in the department's creative writing program; faculty
members serve as advisory editors. Invitations to submit are included
in each issue and manuscripts are welcomed throughout the year.
It is published twice annually.

"Third Coast" costs $6 per issue and is available
in Kalamazoo bookstores and cafes including Athena Book Shop,
Michigan News and John Rollins Books. Subscriptions also are available.
Call the magazine's office at 616 387-2675 for more information.